Pirate Nemesis (Telepathic Space Pirates Book 1) (27 page)

Tamari?

The little girl appeared beside her, throwing her arms around Mercy’s neck, practically choking her. Her small body trembled.
Papa won’t answer me. The scary man and the mean lady won’t let him. I’m scared!

Mercy put her arms around the little girl and held her tight. “What scary man?”

The one who came on the ship with Uncle Nik.

Reaper’s back?
Confusion and hurt warred within her that he would return without letting her know. She pushed it aside. Something else was going on here.

Papa told me to wait. He told Blaine to wait with me, but then Blaine left! Rasa and I got tired of waiting. We went to find Papa, but he’s with the scary man.

Mercy sat down, still holding the child. She stroked a hand over Tamari’s curls, thinking.
How many people were with the scary man?

Tama pulled her head back and looked up at Mercy. Her blue eyes shimmered with tears.
Everyone.

“Are you sure?”

Everyone on the whole ship. ‘Cept me and Rasa. And you. And the lady.
She put her hand on Atrea’s stasis field.

“Where are they, Tamari?”

The child looked down, playing with the hem of her dress.

“Tama, this is really important.”

“I’ll get in trouble.” The words were barely a whisper.

“I promise, you won’t be in trouble. I need to know.”

Tamari’s lower lip quivered. “I’m not allowed to go there.”

“It's okay that you went there.” Mercy forced herself to smile. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise. Please, just tell me where they are.”

“The place where people fight.”

The arena. Mercy thought about the space. It could probably hold the entire crew. But why were they there? What scary man and mean lady had Reaper brought to the ship? Other Killers?

“Who is the scary man?” she asked Tama.

The child hid her face against Mercy’s shoulder. Her body trembled again, and it took Mercy a moment to realize she was crying. A horrible feeling balled in her gut.

“What did the scary man do?”

But the girl didn’t answer. Her sobs grew in intensity until Mercy just sat, rocking her. Something bad had happened. Something Tamari didn’t want to talk about.

“Did he hurt someone?” Mercy asked softly.

After a moment, Tamari nodded.

“Who?”

Wolf. The scary man hurt Wolf.

M
ercy fought down panic
. Wolfgang wasn’t dead. He couldn’t be. Getting more information out of Tamari proved impossible. She just kept repeating that Wolf was hurt. The only detail she added was
real bad
, which did nothing to reassure Mercy’s fears.

Her first instinct was to run to the arena and see what was happening for herself, but rushing in would be foolhardy. She needed more information. Wolfgang might have left the military, but that didn’t mean he’d left everything he knew behind. He’d drilled strategy into her from the beginning, probably sensing that with the secrets she was keeping, she would need it.

A pang of worry and pain filled her at the thought of him, but she had no time for that now. Carefully, she set Tamari on a chair so she could get up and pace. She felt time draining away like sand running through her fingers. She didn’t know how long she had before someone came looking for her, but she didn't imagine it would be long. If they wanted everyone on the ship in one place, there was a reason. Someone would come. Unless she went to them first.

She looked at Tamari. “I have to go, but I want you to stay here.”

“No! Don’t leave.” The little girl’s lower lip quivered again, her eyes filling with fresh tears.
If you leave, you won't come back. Just like Mama and Papa. I tried to talk to Mama, but she couldn’t hear me.
Even her mental voice was shaky and tearful, and Mercy’s heart squeezed painfully.
She was standing next to Uncle Nik, but she couldn’t hear me. No one could.

Mercy knelt in front of Tamari. “Tama, I promise you, I will bring your parents back. All right? But I need you to stay safe.” Inspiration struck, and Mercy placed a hand on Atrea’s stasis cocoon. “I need you to make sure Atrea stays safe. Can you do that?”

Tamari looked up at her and sniffled once, blinking back her tears.
Watch the lady?

“Yes, I need you to watch the lady for me. It’s really important that you stay here with her.” And Mercy would lock them in to make sure they stayed safe. Not that locks would keep Tama in if she wanted out. “Will you do that for me?”

Another sniffle. “Yes.” It was the most heartbreaking agreement Mercy had ever heard, the child’s voice trembling over the word.

Mercy hugged her, and Tamari’s arms crept around her. “Thank you. Now, you and Rasa…” An idea occurred to her, and she trailed off.

Mercy?

She gathered her thoughts and pulled back. “You and Rasa will stay here,” she said firmly. “I’m going to go and get your parents back.”

And Uncle Nik?

“You bet. Uncle Nik is at the top of my list.” She took a deep breath, shifting her focus.
Rasa?
Silence answered her. What was his full name?
Rasalas? If you can hear me, please answer.

A faint growl sounded from the right, followed by a flicker of movement that had Mercy’s mouth going dry. She remembered his teeth all too vividly.

I need your help,
she continued, sending on a tight thread that she hoped Tamari wouldn't pick up. She turned in a circle, in the direction she thought he might be moving.
I can’t do this without more information. I don’t know why Tama and I haven’t been trapped like everyone else, but I need your help if I have any hope of unraveling this.

The air right in front of her rippled, and the huge spotted cat wavered into focus as his camouflage fell. It was a neat trick, and one Mercy wished she had right about now. Green-gold eyes studied her, and the upper lip of his mouth trembled on another sub-vocal growl, flashing his fangs.

Will you speak with me?

He dipped his head.
I will speak with you, human Queen.

Thank you.
Relief washed through her.
You were with Tama at the arena?

I was.

What did you see?

He didn’t answer right away. He moved, standing up and padding closer to Tama’s chair. He stretched and rubbed his head against her. She put both arms around him in a tight hug.

I saw all of the humans. Tama’s mother and father, and the rest. I saw people I have never scented before. The leader was a man with a battle wound.

It took a moment for Mercy to process this. Then she realized Rasa meant scar, and the breath froze within her.
Willem Frain.

There is a stripling human as well. A girl. She is like you.

Like me?

He blinked at her.
A queen.

Mercy sat down. Another queen. From where?

She smells like you. Not exactly the same, but like…litter mates.

“That’s impossible.”

I only tell the truth, human. The kith do not lie.

I wasn’t accusing you of lying. I just don’t have any siblings. Litter mates.

The cat stared back at her, unmoved.
There are others, but they take orders from the two. The man and the girl-queen.
He nuzzled at Tama, and received a tremulous smile in response.
You will retrieve Tama’s Mama and Papa?

I’m damn sure going to try. Were there other children there?

Yes. Many. All but Tama, I think. They were called like the others.

Called?

By the girl-queen.

Mercy tapped her fingers against her leg. She hadn’t known a queen could do that. Could
she
do that? Call everyone back, maybe? It explained why she hadn’t been pulled to the arena. As a queen, she must be immune. She frowned, looking back at Tamari.

Why wasn’t Tama called?

She was. But her bond with me is strong enough that we resisted it.
His eyes flashed in the light.
We belong to no queen. Yet.
The way he eyed Mercy made it clear he wasn’t sure they ever would.

Thank you for your help. Stay here and guard Tama.

I will never leave her.
This was said fiercely, almost like an accusation. His fur practically bristled as he stiffened and glared at her, eyes half-slitted.

Mercy lifted a hand.
Sorry, I didn’t mean…I just want her to stay safe.

I will keep her safe.

Mercy was sure he would. She had to trust that, because she had so many people to worry about right now if she thought about it too closely, she might be sick. Willem Frain had a queen, and he had control of every person aboard
Nemesis.
It was a nightmare come to life.

“Mercy?”

“Yes, Tama?”

Tamari’s small hand splayed against Atrea’s cocoon. “You should wake up the lady.”

Sadness engulfed Mercy. “I wish I could, Tama. But Atrea is still sick. If I wake her up, she’ll die.” Did the child even understand death?

Tamari shook her head. Her hair was free of its usual pigtails, the curls bouncing with her movement. “No. Tama fixed her.” The little girl bit her lip. “Not supposed to without asking, but I couldn’t ask. The lady sleeps.”

Mercy just looked at her for a long time. She’d never wanted to believe something so badly in her life. But how could she take the word of a child and risk her friend’s life? Even if Tamari could heal Atrea, there was no way she could do it through the stasis field.
Nothing
could penetrate stasis. Right?

“How did you fix her, Tama?” Reluctant hope made her voice questions that couldn’t possibly have real answers.

“The lady was sick. Icky dark sickness in her head. It was hurting her, so I stopped it. I…killed it.”

“You killed it.” What the hell did that mean?

“Uh-huh.” Tama nodded seriously. “I could see it. It took a long time. The icky stuff was really hard to touch, but Rasa showed me how I could do it. Then
zap!
I killed it. Just like Papa.” She smiled up at Mercy hopefully. The smile trembled a little around the edges, like she still wasn’t sure of the response she would get.

Mercy crouched in front of her. “Tamari, this is really important. Are you absolutely
sure
you got rid of
all
the sickness?”

“All of it.” Tama nodded sagely. “Every bit.” She patted the stasis cocoon. “The lady is all better now.”

Impossible. Right? But how many impossible things had Mercy witnessed since coming here? Since being taken by Willem Frain? The
icky dark sickness
Tamari described fit his brand of poison perfectly. What if Atrea really was healed? Mercy could definitely use her best friend’s help now.

But even if what Tamari said was true, there was one more problem. One Mercy had created.

“I can’t wake her up, Tamari.” The words left a heavy weight in her gut.

“Why?”

“Because Atrea…” How did she explain this to a child? “Because unlike you and me, Atrea got her Talent right before the sickness. She doesn’t know how to use it, or control it, and it hurts her to try. Even if she was awake, she wouldn’t be able to help us.”

Tama tilted her head, seeming to consider this. Then she hopped down from her chair and padded across the room to the section with all of Doc’s herbs and plants stored in stasis along the wall. She rose up in the air until she could reach one of the cupboards. It slid open, revealing more storage. Tamari rummaged around for long enough that Mercy almost told her to get down, but curiosity kept her quiet. Finally, the little girl picked something out of the cupboard, and then suddenly she was back across the room to Mercy. Immediately, she looked guilty.

“You count as super-ized, right?” She asked, leaning in as if to share a secret.

What?
“Um…sure.”

“Good.” Visibly relieved, Tamari reached out and placed something in Mercy’s hand. Looking down at it, it was a small disc no bigger than her thumb nail. It looked like a medical patch of some kind, but more complex. Almost like a circuit board.

“What is this?”

“For the lady. So she can help you without her Talent.” Tamari’s tone made it clear this should have been obvious.

Mercy glanced at Rasa. The big cat’s tail twitched, and she could swear he was laughing at her.
A dampener. Temporary, and limited. Doc uses them for children struggling with their Talent early on. Tamari wore one for a time. Place it on the woman’s skin.

The glimmer of hope became a wild surge in her chest. She could really wake up Atrea. Wake her up, and get her help. Lightheaded, Mercy had to sit down for a moment. This was really happening.

She just had to pray that Wolfgang was still alive. That they all were.

“All right,” she said on the heels of a long breath in. “Let’s do this.” She only hoped Tamari was right, that Atrea really was healed. If not, Mercy would have to re-engage the stasis field immediately.

Shutting down a snow white was just as simple as activating one. Mercy triggered the mechanism before she could think too much about it, and the blue shimmer of the field faded and vanished. The high pitched sound of Atrea screaming filled the room, making Rasa hiss and Tamari duck down, startled. But Atrea came out of the field exactly as she’d gone into it: screaming in agony. It faded to silence in moments, however, as her friend struggled to sit up, blinking around her with confused, wary eyes.

Mercy slapped the dampener against her neck and pulled Atrea into a hard hug.

“Whoa!” He friend’s voice was muffled. “What the hell, Mercy? Where are we? What happened to the space station? Who is that child and what is that giant…cat?”

“It’s a lot to explain,” Mercy said. She kept holding her friend. She wasn’t sure she could let go. “You were in stasis, we were rescued. We’re with my family now. The little girl saved your life, and the cat is her…friend.”

“You’re kind of choking me.” Atrea pushed against her until Mercy let go. As usual, she went straight for the heart of the matter.

“Your
homicidal
family?” Atrea searched her face. “Are you serious?” Her hair was still mussed and her face gaunt from their time in captivity. Dark circles and hollow cheeks marred her features, but her eyes were alert and hard as steel. “Do I need to kill someone?”

“Yes.” Mercy reluctantly let go of her. “But not who you think. Willem Frain and his people are here. They have my family, and everyone else on this ship under some kind of…mind control.” She lowered her voice, her stomach churning. “They’ve hurt Wolfgang. I don’t know how badly.”

“Dad?” Atrea swung her legs over the side of the infirmary bed her stasis field had rested on. “Where?”

“In a big, converted room that used to be a cargo hold.”

“I need weapons.”

“I don't…have any.” Mercy looked around, but they were in the infirmary. Weapons would have been out of place here, even on a pirate ship. Still, maybe it was worth searching.

“I know where they are.” Tamari was ducked half behind Mercy, watching Atrea with a shy look on her face. “I could show you. I’ve been there with Papa before.”

“Who is this cutie?” Atrea grinned at Tamari, then looked back at Mercy with a quick frown. “You’ve grown out your hair? How long was I out?”

“Only a few weeks. Look, I promise I’ll explain everything later.” She looked down at Tamari. “You can show Atrea where to get weapons?”

Tama gave such a serious nod it melted Mercy’s heart. “All right then. You two go do that.” She snuck a glance over at Rasa. “You three, I mean. Then Tama can show you where the arena is. I bet she knows a secret way into that room.” The kid probably knew every hidey hole and passage on this ship.

“There’s the place where you fix things,” Tamari offered.

Mercy cast about in her own considerable knowledge of ships, but could only come up with the flight deck, which was fairly close to the cargo hold, but not connected.

“You mean the flight deck?” she asked, pretty sure she was wrong.

Tamari shook her head. “No. The place you climb in between.”

Mercy and Atrea looked at each other. “Maintenance shaft,” they said at the same time. Mercy grinned. It was good having her best friend back.

“I think there are places you can access the cargo hold from there. If I can cause a big enough distraction, you might be able to find a good sniping position.”

“Worth a look. What kind of distraction?”

This was the part that was still murky. “I have no idea, but I’m sure something will come to me.” She crouched down to Tamari’s level. “As soon as you’re done showing Atrea where to go, I want you and Rasa to hide. Don’t go into the arena, no matter what.”